UT System chancellor leaves to lead University of California

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University of Texas System Chancellor JB Milliken will leave the 256,000-student system to take a new out-of-state position as University of California president, system officials said Friday.

"We are fortunate to have had Chancellor Milliken at the helm of the UT System for almost seven years,” said UT System Regents' Chair Kevin P. Eltife in a statement. “The board and I are grateful for our close and very productive relationship with him, and we are proud of what we accomplished together. He has led the UT System admirably and innovatively."

Milliken was appointed as UT System chancellor in 2018 after spending years as chancellor for City University of New York, and has also served as president of the University of Nebraska. Milliken was named the new president of the University of California on Friday, and will enter that role in August, according to statements from UC and the UT System.

John Zerwas, the University of Texas System’s executive vice chancellor for health affairs and a former Republican member of the Texas House, will serve as acting chancellor when Milliken leaves in June, according to a news release from the UT System. Zerwas, who is a doctor, retired from the Legislature in 2019 after seven terms in the House, at one point serving as chair of the budget-writing House Appropriations committee.

Eltife praised Zerwas’ work as vice chancellor and his ability to strengthen partnerships between UT and health institutions.

“We continue to have the benefit of Dr. Zerwas’ long and distinguished service in the Texas Legislature as a higher education advocate and budget expert,” Eltife said.

Milliken’s exit is not the only pre-summer leadership shakeup at UT and other major Texas universities.. Jim Davis, former UT chief operating officer, was appointed as interim president of the University of Texas at Austin campus in February, months before former president Jay Hartzell indicated he would step down for a new role as Southern Methodist University’s next president.

Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, the university’s longest-serving chancellor, will be retiring in June. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will take on the role July 1.

The transitions in university leadership come at a time where college campuses across Texas and the nation are under increased scrutiny from lawmakers. A bill passed by the state Senate would limit how universities could teach about race and history, while another passed by the House would require schools including universities adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism.

Those bills come in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests across university campuses in Texas and the United States last year, and as lawmakers continue to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campuses. Milliken was one of several university leaders who testified during a 2024 state Senate subcommittee hearing aimed at ensuring campuses were complying with a 2023 ban on DEI offices and programs.

“Those degrees change the lives of our graduates for the better, absolutely. But they also change the trajectories of families and communities,” Milliken said in remarks to the UC Board of Regents during their meeting on Friday. “Despite this, we know that confidence in higher education is at the lowest levels in the decades since it’s been measured. Yet I remain firmly convinced that higher education is more important than at any point in our history.”

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University, University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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